Season 2016

[Bierzo Baggie]

Wednesday night
Left the car otside the swimming pool. It’s a chilly 5ºC and I’ve got half an hour free before daughter Lara comes out. Headed for the nearest park looking for a softer surface but it was all a bit random and aimless.
Ran across busy roads, along pavements, cycle paths and grass verges and finally reached the park. Then I had to head back.
25 minutes at a reasonable pace.
But was it worth it?
Is there really a need for speed? Should I just grow old gracefully?
I’ll be back next Wednesday ...for now.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Wednesday night
...
25 minutes at a reasonable pace.
But was it worth it?
Is there really a need for speed? Should I just grow old gracefully?

My foot doctor said to me that he always asks his older clients what they're looking for from their running, and he reckons they all same the same thing: "PBs"  is what they're after. He told me this because I was (apparently) the first "older" person who said something different, viz "I just want to still be running in my eighties".

Now obviously I won't be running at my current pace in thirty years time, so why worry about it now? So long as I feel I'm putting in a decent effort, I'm happy. If a PB comes along as a result, fantastic, but I won't lose sleep over it.

I'd much rather be slow and fit, than fast and injured.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Now obviously I won't be running at my current pace in thirty years time, so why worry about it now? So long as I feel I'm putting in a decent effort, I'm happy. If a PB comes along as a result, fantastic, but I won't lose sleep over it.
 


Yeah, that's what I would have said 15 years ago when I was in my early 30s MLCM ..... I've suddenly developed an irrational need for speed though, maybe I'm having a mid life crisis!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Now obviously I won't be running at my current pace in thirty years time, so why worry about it now? So long as I feel I'm putting in a decent effort, I'm happy. If a PB comes along as a result, fantastic, but I won't lose sleep over it.
 


Yeah, that's what I would have said 15 years ago when I was in my early 30s MLCM ..... I've suddenly developed an irrational need for speed though, maybe I'm having a mid life crisis!

Well yes, clearly. I was just being polite in not mentioning it.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Shoes

MLCM mentioned the other day that he had been using a pair of Brooks Adreneline trainers. These happen to be what I use for running on the road. I bought them over a year ago although I’ve only just started using them for the activity that they were designed for. I’d been using them for general walking around until now and had bought them for several reasons.
 

1. I need a decent sized wedge of springy, synthetic material between me and the ground for running on hard surfaces, road, concrete, pavement, cycleways, etc.. the fatter, the better. I wanted something for the road and only the road.
   
2. They were a nice colour, blue and shiny.
   
3. They were comfortable and bouncy.
   
4. They were blue and shiny.
   

 
Now this simple act of buying a pair of shoes was a big step for me. I think it was the first time I’d bought a pair of road runners since my trusty shoe dealer closed his shop (Raizor Blue where are you?) Glad that they seem to be a decent pair of shoes as well as a nice colour.
 
Friday
Swimming
 
Up and down the pool
Up and down the pool
EE-I-AD-EE-O
Up and down the pool
 
40 lengths with frequent stops to avoid crashing into other swimmers.
This soft, low impact water can only be good for you.
 
Tomorrow, a date with Monte Pajariel.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Saturday
Although I still can’t explain my need for Speed one thing is for sure, it’s not a PB I’m looking for. A 26-year old me would thrash a 46-year old me any day of the week and over any distance except maybe in the swimming pool. What I’m looking for is a change of gear, a turbo, a bit of oomph, a mere fighting chance to flee the beast if need be.

 
Up and down Monte Pajariel. 
The climb up the zig-zag involves 300m of height gain in 20 minutes along gradients that bring tears to the eyes but it’s just about runnable. The descent through the woods is as steep as they come and impossible to run up. Today it was soft, fast and tree-clutchingly technical.
 
Down below just 5 minutes from home 2 dogs came for me, shooting out from the nearby allotments, barking and snarling like a couple of hellhounds. One was a fine specimen of German shepherd dog and its sidekick was a scrawny mutt of dubious parentage. The shepherd dog was showing its teeth and at one point I thought it was going for my arm so I screamed my f**king head off at it. Sprinted across an overgrown field thankful for a bit of extra speed to take me away from the animals’ terrain as quickly as possible. Certainly knocked a few seconds off my time!   
 
Out and back in 51 minutes. Noticeably faster and much stronger on the climb. 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Bloody hell BB! Shot at by hunters; attacked by the hounds of Hades... no wonder you went for a shoe called "Adrenaline"!


... and also because they were blue and shiny.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Tuesday
No run on Sunday so went today.
Had the day off due to carnival festivities and so a longish lunch time run was possible. And Spanish lunches are long.
A slice of pie (empanada) and half a lager was enough for me and then I was off on the “Tour de Monte Pajariel”. This is a circular route that involves one long climb, a short steep descent and quite a lot of flattish trail and road. It goes around the frequently mentioned hill but steers clear of the summit.
The conditions were bordering on “Swederesque” but hey, the wind was never more than blustery and the rain was almost vertical so it couldn’t have been that bad. There was mud aplenty though and the quick dash down to the Oza Valley on the other side of Pajariel was made more interesting, the stony path having quite literally split down the middle. Some great body of water, I suspect from a burst pipe or some underground canal, had cut a deep gully which resembled the aftermath of an earthquake. Followed the jagged crevice for about a km, leaping frequently from side to side. It was 10 feet deep in places so at times I was forced to double back when the leap was longer than I liked. Completed the circle running through the village of Toral de Merayo and along the River Sil back to home. No hunters, no dogs, no adrenaline, heavy legs from all that leaping, very tired indeed.
1 hour 15 minutes.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Wednesday night
Stayed within the sports complex this time. The grass is so far away it's hardly worth it. After 6 weeks I've maintained the 3 runs a week schedule. This is probably the closest I've come to real training since I started writing here over 10 years ago! If one session finally goes it will be this one. Dark, painful, pointless running that will only make me better, faster, worse or not at all. 4 laps and thanks. 21 minutes. 

[Bierzo Baggie]

Friday

The pool.
40 lengths as usual. Contemplated the similarities between running and swimming. There aren’t many. There is movement and breathing is important and that’s about it.
 
Saturday
Could hear the roar from the kitchen window before I set out. The River Sil had burst its banks. Had to modify my route slightly to get to the bridge but it did mean avoiding the alsation from hell. The sheer volume of murky water  rumbling along like some monstrous conveyer belt was unreal.
It was also the first time I’ve heard ducks on Monte Pajariel.
39 minutes.
 
Tomorrow, the first race of the year, a 7k cross-country which I only found out about this afternoon. Sounds a bit like one of those park-runs.  

[Antonio247]

Best of luck in your first race of the year, BB!

Looking forward to reading your race report. It's great to read your running diary again.

Saludos desde Almería

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yes, best of luck for the cross-country jaunt, sounds like a great way to kick off the racing year. Looking forward to reading the race report!

[Bierzo Baggie]

Cross de Ponferrada

This was the third in a series of 3 cross-country races organized in El Bierzo and it was held on the day that winter finally decided to make an appearance. 
3 laps of soggy grass, gravel and ankle deep mud ended with a flurry of sleet and an icy wind that left snow on the nearby hills. The bad weather meant that only the most committed made it to the start line and I found myself well towards the back of the field. Running in an old pair of road shoes that sent me slipping and sliding at every slight change of direction certainly didn’t help. Many ran with spikes and the winner crossed the line in his socks having lost a shoe in the mud.  Enjoyed it though and it reminded me of running cross-country at school many many years ago.
7.25 km, a shade under 36 minutes; 85th out of 100 finishers.
Youtube video courtesy of a bloke with a camera in his hat. 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Nice one! Are you somewhere in that video, BB?

[Antonio247]

Well done, BB. You seem to be fitter than you think. Very good pace in spite of the adverse weather conditions.

[Sweder]

Good work, fella!

[Bierzo Baggie]

Thanks all! Make only a fleeting appearance on the video at 2:16. There were a lot of fast runners out there and I suspect that the 14 who finished behind me were not really trying.

 
Wednesday: 4 laps of the sports zone as fast as I could. 21 minutes. I’m not getting much faster but I am starting to feel a bit stronger on the last lap. There’s not so much embarrassing grunting and groaning going on.
 
Friday: Swimming x40 and 2 more for luck.
 
Saturday: Halfway up Monte Pajariel and back along the side via Otero with a slight detour to avoid the dogs of death. Pleasant weather. Snow on the mountains and blossom on some of the trees. 37 minutes.
 
The boar hunting season officially ends tomorrow. This will significantly increase my Sunday morning options and reduce my chances of being shot at. 

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

This will significantly increase my Sunday morning options and reduce my chances of being shot at. 

Aw... what will you have to write about if not death in the mountains?

[Bierzo Baggie]

Aw... what will you have to write about if not death in the mountains?

How about espionage, nazis and ...tungsten ?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Aw... what will you have to write about if not death in the mountains?

How about espionage, nazis and ...tungsten ?

Hmmm, The Tungsten Mines of Ponferrada - I think you've hit on a fantastic new idea for an RC novel, BB. Keep at it, son!